Group-III nitride semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a group-III nitride semiconductor device, which comprises a substrate, a buffer layer, a semiconductor stack structure, and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on the substrate. The semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer and comprises a gate, a source, and a drain. In addition, a gate insulating layer is disposed between the gate and the semiconductor stack structure for forming a HEMT. The passivation film covers the HEMT and includes a plurality of openings corresponding to the gate, the source, and the drain, respectively. The material of the passivation film is silicon oxynitride.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is being filed as Continuation-In-Part application ofSer. No. 15/079,227, filed on 24 Mar. 2016, currently pending, whichclaims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application No. 104109854, filed on26 Mar. 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a high-voltage andlow-leakage group-III nitride semiconductor device and the method forfabricating the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To fabricate a Schottky barrier diode (SBD), the region outside theactive regions of the device is first etched to the high-resistivityepitaxy layer before fabricating ohmic contacts on both sides ofSchottky contacts, where the Schottky contacts are the anodes and theohmic contacts are the cathodes. The greatest defect of the design isthat the spacing between electrodes determines the forward current andthe reverse breakdown voltage. As the spacing is shortened, the forwardcurrent is increased whereas the reverse breakdown voltage is lowered.Contrarily, when the spacing is increased, the reverse breakdown voltageis increased whereas the forward current is lowered. Thereby, accordingto the prior art, trade-offs occur between forward current and reversebreakdown voltage and hence bringing inconvenience for circuit design.In order to overcome the above defect, according to the prior art, theSBD is coupled to a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). As shownin FIG. 1, in forward bias, the HEMT is turned on; in reverse bias, theHEMT is turned off. By using this method, the SBD is protected frombreakdown in reverse biases. Nonetheless, this method requires couplingtwo independent devices. In circuit design, it requires more area.Besides, in high-speed switching, the overall speed will be lowered,resulting in degradation of device performance.

A HEMT is generally classified into two modes: the depletion mode andthe enhancement mode. According to the prior art, the channel of adepletion-mode HEMT is injected with fluorine ions (F⁻) so that the2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the injected region is raised abovethe Fermi energy level and forming an enhancement-mode HEMT.Nonetheless, no matter in which mode, the HEMTs according to the priorart still suffers from the trade-off between current collapse effect anddrain to source breakdown voltage. In addition, for an active device, itis considered how to reduce the surface leakage current.

In the past, silicon dioxide (SiO₂) is generally adopted as the surfacepassivation film of a HEMT for increasing it breakdown voltage as wellas reducing the surface leakage current. By using the deep traps formedby using SiO₂ as the passivation film interface, the electrons aretrapped and thus increasing the breakdown voltage. Nonetheless, the deeptraps induce the problem of slow current recovery when the drain of theHEMT is given a high voltage bias in off-mode (which by means the drainto gate is given a high voltage reverse bias) is switched to an on-mode(which by means the drain to source is given a high voltage forwardbias). According to the prior art, there have been many discussions onreverse recovery current. Nevertheless, there is no publication focusedon analysis or discussion of current collapse effect. FIG. 2 shows aschematic diagram of current collapse effect of a GaN SBD. When a deviceis reversely biased, the current is extremely small and approaches tozero. At this moment, as a forward bias is applied, the current cannotincrease as soon as the voltage. It requires a delay time. Thereby,under high-speed operations, the operating speed of the device isreduced.

Accordingly, according to the prior art, there still exist the problemsof inability in optimizing the forward current and the reverse breakdownvoltage and in optimizing the forward recovery current and the surfaceleakage current.

SUMMARY

An objective of the present invention is to provide a group-III nitridesemiconductor device, which uses its structure property to own highreverse breakdown voltage and high forward current.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a group-IIInitride semiconductor device, which uses its material property to ownlow surface leakage current and fast forward recovery current.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a method forfabricating the above device in a single process.

In order to achieve the above objectives and efficacies, the presentinvention discloses a group-III nitride semiconductor device, whichcomprises a substrate, a buffer layer, a semiconductor stack structure,and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on the substrate.The semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer andcomprises a gate, a source, and a drain. In addition, a gate insulatinglayer is disposed between the gate and the semiconductor stack structurefor forming a HEMT. The passivation film covers the HEMT and includes aplurality of openings corresponding to the gate, the source, and thedrain, respectively. The material of the passivation film is siliconoxynitride.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the group-IIInitride semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a buffer layer, afirst semiconductor stack structure, a second semiconductor stackstructure, and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on thesubstrate. The first semiconductor stack structure is disposed on thebuffer layer and comprises a gate, a source, and a drain. In addition, agate insulating layer is disposed between the gate and the firstsemiconductor stack structure for forming a HEMT. The secondsemiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer andcomprises an anode and a cathode for forming a SBD. The anode isconnected to the gate and the cathode is connected to the drain. Thepassivation film covers the HEMT and the SBD, and includes a pluralityof openings corresponding to the source and the anode, respectively.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the group-IIInitride semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a buffer layer, afirst semiconductor stack structure, a second semiconductor stackstructure, and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on thesubstrate. The first semiconductor stack structure is disposed on thebuffer layer and comprises a first gate, a first source, and a firstdrain. In addition, a first gate insulating layer is disposed betweenthe first gate and the first semiconductor stack structure for forming afirst HEMT. The second semiconductor stack structure is disposed on thebuffer layer and comprises a second gate, a second source, and a seconddrain. In addition, a second gate insulating layer is disposed betweenthe second gate and the second semiconductor stack structure for forminga second HEMT. The first gate is connected to the second source and thefirst source is connected to the second drain. The passivation filmcovers the first HEMT and the second HEMT, and includes a plurality ofopenings corresponding to the first drain, the second gate, and thesecond source, respectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the prior art;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of forward recovery current;

FIG. 3A shows a schematic diagram of the group-III nitride semiconductordevice according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B shows a partially enlarged diagram of the group-III nitridesemiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 4A to 4F show process steps according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5A shows a top view of the group-III nitride semiconductor deviceaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional view along the line segment V-V′ in FIG.5A;

FIG. 5C shows a cross-sectional view along the line segment V-V′ in FIG.5A according to another embodiment;

FIG. 5D shows the equivalent circuit of the group-III nitridesemiconductor device according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 6A to 6E show process steps according to the second embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7A shows a top view of the group-III nitride semiconductor deviceaccording to the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7B shows a cross-sectional view along the line segment U-U′ in FIG.7A;

FIG. 7C shows the equivalent circuit of the group-III nitridesemiconductor device according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 8A to 8F show process steps according to the third embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the group-III nitride semiconductordevice according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make the structure and characteristics as well as theeffectiveness of the present invention to be further understood andrecognized, the detailed description of the present invention isprovided as follows along with embodiments and accompanying figures.

Please refer to FIG. 3A, which shows a schematic diagram of thegroup-III nitride semiconductor device according to the first embodimentof the present invention. As shown in the figure, the group-III nitridesemiconductor device comprises a substrate 10, a buffer layer 20, asemiconductor stack structure 30, and a passivation film 40. The bufferlayer 20 is disposed on the substrate 10. The semiconductor stackstructure 30 is disposed on the buffer layer 20 and comprises aplurality of electrodes, including a gate 31, a source 32, and a drain33. In addition, a gate insulating layer 34 is disposed between the gate31 and the semiconductor stack structure 30 for forming a HEMT. Besides,the passivation film 40 covers the HEMT and includes a plurality ofopenings W corresponding to the gate 31, the source 32, and the drain33, respectively.

The material of the substrate 10 is silicon; the material of the bufferlayer 20 is gallium nitride; the materials of the semiconductor stackstructure 30 are stacked gallium nitride and gallium aluminum nitride.The semiconductor stack structure 30 comprises a channel layer 301, abarrier layer 302, and a cover layer 303. Moreover, the presentinvention is not limited to the above materials.

The material of the passivation film 40, which covers the HEMT, issilicon oxynitride, which has a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98.By using oxynitride as the material of the passivation film 40, the deeptraps at the interface between the passivation film 40 and the galliumaluminum nitride is reduced effectively and thus suppressing the surfaceleakage current as well as avoiding accumulation of excess charges thatmight lead to electrode burnout. In addition, trade-off should be madebetween the surface leakage current and the rate of current recovery.According to the lattice structure and the deep traps according to thepresent invention, the optimum refractive index of the oxynitride isbetween 1.46 and 1.98 with the optimum thickness greater than 100 nm. Inaddition to suppressing the surface leakage current, the devicereliability is also increased under high-speed operations.

There exists a parasitic SBD between the gate 31 and the source 32. Ifthis parasitic SBD is turned on, a negative current is very possiblygenerated. Thereby, according to the present invention, the gateinsulating layer 34 is disposed for preventing the negative current dueto turning on of the parasitic SBD between the gate 31 and the source32. In addition, in selecting the material of the gate insulating layer34, the current collapse effect caused by charge accumulation at thedefects under the gate 31 should be considered. Thereby, like thepassivation film 40 as described above, oxynitride with a refractiveindex between 1.46 and 1.98 is selected as the material of the gateinsulating layer 34. Alternatively, the voltage endurance can beconsidered. Please refer to FIG. 3B, which shows a partially enlargeddiagram of the first embodiment. Silicon oxynitride combined withsilicon oxide can be adopted. The gate insulating layer 34 includes abottom part 341 and a top part 342. The bottom part 341 is siliconoxynitride. The top part 342 is silicon oxide. Besides, the length ofthe gate insulating layer 34 must be greater than that of the gate 31for preventing effectively the current collapse effect.

Please refer to FIGS. 4A to 4F, which show process steps for thegroup-III nitride semiconductor device according to the first embodimentof the present invention. As shown in the figures, the steps comprisesetching a stack structure 3 on a substrate 10 with a depth between 250nm and 1000 nm and forming a semiconductor stack structure 30;performing a first surface oxidation process; coating an ohmic metallayer, removing the ohmic metal layer, and forming a source 32 and adrain 33; performing a second surface oxidation process; coating aninsulating layer, etching the insulating layer, and forming a gateinsulating layer 34 between the source 32 and the drain 33; coating aSchottky metal layer, removing the Schottky metal layer, and forming agate 31 on the gate insulating layer 34; coating a passivation film 40,etching the passivation film 40, and forming a plurality of openings Won the passivation film 40 with the locations of the openings Wcorresponding to the gate 31, the source 32, and the drain 33,respectively.

In the fabrication process, considering the materials of the passivationfilm 40 and the gate insulating layer 34 are both silicon oxynitride,while etching the stack structure 3, the depth is between 250 nm and1000 nm. This is because while etching the stack structure 3, if theetching depth is deeper, more stress will be released by gallium nitrideand gallium aluminum nitride. Then channel velocity changes and thereverse leakage current are increased accordingly. Besides, if therefractive index of the passivation film 40 is adjusted, the surfacestress of the device is influenced as well. Thereby, when thepassivation film 40 is silicon oxynitride and the refractive index isbetween 1.46 and 1.98, the optimum etching depth is between 250 nm and1000 nm.

In order to avoid dangling bonds or defects on the surface of the coverlayer from forming paths for leakage current, according to the presentinvention, a surface oxidation process is used for patching the surface.The surface oxidation process is a high-temperature oxidation withtemperatures between 400 and 800° C. Alternatively, a plasma oxidationmethod can be adopted. In the second surface oxidation process of theprocess flow, the surface oxide can be first kept. It can be removedwhile forming the gate insulating layer 34 in later steps.

In addition to the above technical features, the group-III nitridesemiconductor device according to the present invention can be formedalong with the devices according to other embodiments of the presentinvention in the same process steps and on the same substrate. The otherembodiments will be described later.

In addition, if the HEMT according to the present embodiment is anenhancement-mode HEMT, only one step is added for injecting fluorineions. Injection of fluorine ions can be performed using an inductivelycoupled plasma (ICP) process.

Please refer to FIGS. 5A and 5B. FIG. 5A shows a top view of thegroup-III nitride semiconductor device according to the secondembodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectionalview along the line segment V-V′ in FIG. 5A. As shown in the figures,the group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the presentinvention comprises a substrate 10, a buffer layer 20, a firstsemiconductor stack structure 30A, a second semiconductor stackstructure 30B, and a passivation film 40. The buffer layer 20 isdisposed on the substrate 10. The first semiconductor stack structure30A and the second semiconductor stack structure 30B are disposed on thebuffer layer 20. The first semiconductor stack structure 30A comprises aplurality of electrodes, including a gate 31A, a source 32A, and a drain33A. In addition, a gate insulating layer 34A is disposed between thegate 31A and the first semiconductor stack structure 30A for forming aHEMT using the first semiconductor stack structure 30A and the pluralityof electrodes. The second semiconductor stack structure 30B comprises ananode 31B and a cathode 32B for forming a SBD. The anode 31B isconnected to the gate 31A and the cathode 32B is connected to the drain33A. In addition, the passivation film 40 covers the HEMT and the SBD,and includes a plurality of openings W corresponding to the source 32Aand the anode 31B, respectively.

The materials of the first semiconductor stack structure 30A and thesecond semiconductor stack structure 30B are stacked gallium nitride andgallium aluminum nitride. The first semiconductor stack structure 30Aand the second semiconductor stack structure 30B comprise a channellayer 301, a barrier layer 302, and a cover layer 303, respectively.Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above materials.

The material of the passivation film 40 is silicon oxynitride with arefractive index between 1.46 and 1.98 and a thickness greater than 100nm. By using the material of the passivation film 40, the surfaceleakage current of the device is reduced and the forward recoverycurrent thereof is accelerated. This has been described above. Thelocations of the openings W of the passivation film 40 correspond to thesource 32A and the anode 31B, respectively, for connection of the deviceto external circuits.

The group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the secondembodiment of the present invention includes the depletion-mode HEMT andthe SBD. By using the HEMT to protect the SBD, the reverse breakdownvoltage of the device is increased. In addition, thanks to theprotection by the passivation film 40, the surface leakage current canbe suppressed effectively and thus allowing the device to operate inhigh speed. Moreover, the HEMT can further be an enhancement-mode HEMT,as shown in FIG. 5C. By using the characteristic that anenhancement-mode HEMT requires a high turn-on voltage, the purpose ofcircuit protection can be achieved.

Please refer to FIGS. 6A to 6E, which show process steps according tothe second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures,the steps comprises etching a stack structure 3 (not shown in thefigures) on a substrate 10 with a depth between 250 nm and 1000 nm andforming a first semiconductor stack structure 30A and a secondsemiconductor stack structure 30B; performing a first surface oxidationprocess; coating an ohmic metal layer, removing the ohmic metal layer,forming a source 32A and a drain 33A on the first semiconductor stackstructure 30A, forming a cathode 32B connected to the drain 33A on thesecond semiconductor stack structure 30B; performing a second surfaceoxidation process; coating an insulating layer, etching the insulatinglayer, and forming a gate insulating layer 34A between the source 32Aand the drain 33A; coating a Schottky metal layer, removing the Schottkymetal layer, forming a gate 31A on the gate insulating layer 34A, andforming an anode 31B connected to the gate 31A on the secondsemiconductor stack structure 30B; coating a passivation film 40,etching the passivation film 40, and forming a plurality of openings Won the passivation film 40 with the locations of the openings Wcorresponding to the source 32A and the anode 31B, respectively.

The parameters and conditions of the second embodiment according to thepresent invention are identical to those of the first embodiment. Hence,the details will not be described again. According to the fabricationprocess of the second embodiment, the process can be performed in thesame process of the first embodiment. Consequently, substantial time andcosts can be saved.

In addition, if the HEMT according to the present embodiment is anenhancement-mode HEMT, only one step is added, which is injectingfluorine ions into the barrier layer. Injection of fluorine ions can beperformed using an ICP process or Ion Implantation.

Please refer to FIGS. 7A and 7B. FIG. 7A shows a top view of thegroup-III nitride semiconductor device according to the third embodimentof the present invention; FIG. 7B shows a cross-sectional view along theline segment U-U′ in FIG. 7A. As shown in the figures, the group-IIInitride semiconductor device according to the present embodimentcomprises a substrate 10, a buffer layer 20, a first semiconductor stackstructure 30C, a second semiconductor stack structure 30D, and apassivation film 40. The buffer layer 20 is disposed on the substrate10. The first semiconductor stack structure 30C is disposed on thebuffer layer 20 and comprises a plurality of electrodes, including afirst gate 31C, a first source 32C, and a first drain 33C. In addition,a first gate insulating layer 34C is disposed between the first gate 31Cand the first semiconductor stack structure 30C for forming a firstHEMT. The second semiconductor stack structure 30D comprises a pluralityof electrodes, including a second gate 31D, a second source 32D, and asecond drain 33D. In addition, a second gate insulating layer 34D isdisposed between the second gate 31D and the second semiconductor stackstructure 30D for forming a second HEMT. The first gate 31C is connectedto the second source 32D and the first source 32C is connected to thesecond drain 33D. Furthermore, the passivation film 40 covers the firstHEMT and the second HEMT, and includes a plurality of openings Wcorresponding to the first drain 33C, the second gate 31D, and thesecond source 32D, respectively.

The materials of the first semiconductor stack structure 30C and thesecond semiconductor stack structure 30D are stacked gallium nitride andgallium aluminum nitride. The first semiconductor stack structure 30Cand the second semiconductor stack structure 30D comprise a channellayer 301, a barrier layer 302, and a cover layer 303, respectively.Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above materials.

The material of the passivation film 40 is silicon oxynitride with arefractive index between 1.46 and 1.98 and a thickness greater than 100nm. By using the material of the passivation film 40, the surfaceleakage current of the device is reduced and the forward recoverycurrent thereof is accelerated. This has been described above. Thelocations of the openings W of the passivation film 40 correspond to thefirst drain 33C, the second gate 31D, and the second source 32D,respectively, for connection of the device to external circuits.

The group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the thirdembodiment of the present invention can be a mixed mode device. That isto say, one of the first and second HEMTs is a depletion-mode HEMT andthe other is an enhancement-mode HEMT. By coupling HEMTs of differentmodes, the reverse breakdown voltage of the device can be increased.Besides, with the protection of the passivation film 40, the surfaceleakage current can be suppressed effectively. Furthermore, when thepresent invention is applied in the mixed mode, the depletion-mode HEMTis a normally-on device. It requires a sufficient negative voltage atthe gate to be turned off. On the contrary, the enhancement-mode HEMTrequires a positive voltage for operation. When it operates, there is achannel resistance. Thereby, a sufficient positive voltage applied tothe enhancement-mode HEMT can turn on the depletion-mode HEMT as well.In addition, according to experiments, when the gate widths of two HEMTsare identical, the current in an enhancement-mode HEMT will be higherthan that in a depletion-mode HEMT. Thereby, while fabricating thedevice according to the present invention, the gate width of thedepletion-mode HEMT should be made wider than that of theenhancement-mode one. Otherwise, the current will be limited by thedepletion-mode HEMT. According to experiments, when the ratio of thewidth of the enhancement-mode HEMT to that of the depletion-mode one is1:3, ideal operating currents will be given.

Please refer to FIGS. 8A to 8F, which show process steps according tothe third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures,the steps comprises etching a stack structure 3 (not shown in thefigures) on a substrate 10 with a depth between 250 nm and 1000 nm andforming a first semiconductor stack structure 30C and a secondsemiconductor stack structure 30D; performing a first surface oxidationprocess; coating an ohmic metal layer, removing the ohmic metal layer,forming a first source 32C and a first drain 33C on the firstsemiconductor stack structure 30C, forming a second source 32D and asecond drain 33D on the second semiconductor stack structure 30D, andthe first source 32C connected to the second drain 33D; definingfluorine-ion injection regions on the second semiconductor stackstructure 30D, and injecting fluorine ions into the barrier layer;performing thermal treatment for fluorine ions and a second surfaceoxidation process; coating an insulating layer, etching the insulatinglayer, forming a first gate insulating layer 34C between the firstsource 32C and the first drain 33C, and forming a second gate insulatinglayer 34D between the second source 32D and the second drain 33D toprevent Schottky metal direct contact to 30D which will create aSchottky diode between the second gate 31D and the second source 32D,when a voltage is given, the Schottky diode between the second gate 31Dand the second source 32D will turn on; coating a Schottky metal layer,removing the Schottky metal layer, forming a first gate 31C on the firstgate insulating layer 34C, forming a second gate 31D on the second gateinsulating layer 34D, and the first gate 31C connected to the secondsource 32D; coating a passivation film 40, etching the passivation film40, and forming a plurality of openings W on the passivation film 40with the locations of the openings W corresponding to the first drain33C, the second gate 31D, and the second source 32D, respectively.

The parameters and conditions of the third embodiment according to thepresent invention are identical to those of the first embodiment. Hence,the details will not be described again. According to the fabricationprocess of the third embodiment, the process can be performed in thesame processes of the first and second embodiments. Consequently,substantial time and costs can be saved.

Please refer to FIG. 9, which shows a schematic diagram of the group-IIInitride semiconductor device according to the fourth embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in the figure, the group-III nitridesemiconductor device according to the present invention can combine aprotection diode in the previous embodiments. For example, according tothe first embodiment, the group-III nitride semiconductor device furthercomprises a second semiconductor stack structure 30F, a second bufferlayer 304, an n-type doping layer 501, an intrinsic layer 502, a p-typedoping layer 503, a positive electrode 51, and a negative electrode 52.The n-type doping layer 501, the intrinsic layer 502, and the p-typedoping layer form a PIN diode, which can be used for protecting HEMT orSBD.

Although the reverse breakdown voltage of a PIN diode is lower than thatof a HEMT, a PIN diode owns the recoverable property. This propertyenables a PIN diode to continue operating after breakdown. Contrarily, aHEMT is unrecoverable after breakdown. By using this property in circuitdesigns, PIN diodes can act as protection devices that reach breakdownfirst at reverse biases and thus protecting HEMTs.

The fabrication of protection diodes can be combined with the processesaccording to the previous embodiments. For example, in the processaccording to the first embodiment, while etching the stack structure 3,a second semiconductor stack structure 30F can be formed concurrently. Aprotection diode is then formed on the second semiconductor stackstructure 30F. While removing the ohmic metal layer, a negativeelectrode 52 is formed on the protection diode. While etching theSchottky metal layer, a positive electrode 51 is formed on theprotection diode. Accordingly, in a single process flow, a protectiondiode can be fabricated. This helps saving time and costs.

The group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the presentinvention includes a HEMT, which includes a passivation film coveringthereon. The material of the passivation film 40 is silicon oxynitridewith a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98. By using oxynitride asthe material of the passivation film, the deep traps at the interfacebetween the passivation film and the gallium aluminum nitride is reducedeffectively and thus suppressing the surface leakage current as well asavoiding accumulation of excess charges that might lead to electrodeburnout. In addition, the rate of forward current recovery isaccelerated, so that the device reliability is increased underhigh-speed operations. The material of the gate insulating layer of theHEMT is also silicon oxynitride with a refractive index between 1.46 and1.98. According to the second embodiment, a SBD is further included forincreasing the reverse breakdown voltage of the device. According to thethird embodiment, HEMTs of different modes are included for achievingthe efficacy of increasing reverse breakdown voltage. According to thefourth embodiment, a protection diode is further includes for protectingthe device from occurring unrecoverable condition caused by reversebreakdown. In addition, the process according to each embodiment can becompleted on a single substrate concurrently. This helps savingsubstantial time and costs.

Accordingly, the present invention conforms to the legal requirementsowing to its novelty, nonobviousness, and utility. However, theforegoing description is only embodiments of the present invention, notused to limit the scope and range of the present invention. Thoseequivalent changes or modifications made according to the shape,structure, feature, or spirit described in the claims of the presentinvention are included in the appended claims of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A group-III nitride semiconductor device,comprising: a substrate; a buffer layer, disposed on said substrate; afirst semiconductor stack structure comprising group-III nitridesemiconductors disposed on said buffer layer, comprising a gate, asource, and a drain, a gate insulating layer disposed between said gateand said first semiconductor stack structure for forming a high electronmobility transistor; a second semiconductor stack structure comprisinggroup-III nitride semiconductors, disposed on said buffer layer andcomprising an anode and a cathode for forming a Schottky barrier diode;a passivation film, made of silicon oxynitride, covering said highelectron mobility transistor and said Schottky barrier diode, andincluding a plurality of openings corresponding to said source and saidanode, respectively; and, each of said first and second semiconductorstack structures including a cover layer having an oxidized surfacesandwiched between a barrier layer of said first semiconductor stackstructure and said source and said drain of said first semiconductorstack structure, and between said barrier layer of said secondsemiconductor stack structure and said anode and said cathode of saidsecond semiconductor stack structure; wherein said anode connected tosaid gate and said cathode connected to said drain under said coveringof said passivation film, said first and second semiconductor stackstructures are disposed on said buffer layer separately.
 2. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein said first semiconductor stackstructure and said second semiconductor stack structure, respectively,comprise: a channel layer, disposed on said buffer layer; said barrierlayer, disposed on said channel layer; and said cover layer, disposed onsaid barrier layer.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein saidfirst semiconductor stack structure, is an enhancement mode highelectron mobility transistor by using fluorine-ion injection method. 4.The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein said first semiconductorstack structure, is a depletion mode high electron mobility transistor.5. A group-III nitride semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate; abuffer layer, disposed on said substrate; a first semiconductor stackstructure comprising group-III nitride semiconductors, disposed on saidbuffer layer, comprising a first gate, a first source, and a firstdrain, a first gate insulating layer disposed between said first gateand said first semiconductor stack structure for forming a first highelectron mobility transistor; a second semiconductor stack structurecomprising group-III nitride semiconductors, disposed on said bufferlayer, comprising a second gate, a second source, and a second drain, asecond gate insulating layer disposed between said second gate and saidsecond semiconductor stack structure for forming a second high electronmobility transistor; and a passivation film, made of silicon oxynitride,covering said first high electron mobility transistor and said secondhigh electron mobility transistor, and including a plurality of openingscorresponding to said first drain, said second gate, and said secondsource, respectively; and, each of said first and second semiconductorstack structures including a cover layer having an oxidized surfacesandwiched between a barrier layer of said first semiconductor stackstructure and said first source and said first drain of said firstsemiconductor stack, and between said barrier layer of said secondsemiconductor stack structure and said second source and said secondsource of said second semiconductor stack structure; wherein said firstgate connected to said second source and said first source connected tosaid second drain under said covering of said passivation film, saidfirst and second high electron mobility transistors are operated indifferent modes and disposed on said buffer layer separately.
 6. Thesemiconductor device of claim 5, wherein said first semiconductor stackstructure and said second semiconductor stack structure, respectively,comprise: a channel layer, disposed on said buffer layer; said barrierlayer, disposed on said channel layer; and said cover layer, disposed onsaid barrier layer.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein saidsecond semiconductor stack structure, is an enhancement mode highelectron mobility transistor by using fluorine-ion injection method.